By Zephyria Soon, they were confined to different military trucks. Jeong Si-young, as a fellow High-level Awakener, boarded with Lee Hyun-muk. As Yohan kept glancing back anxiously, Lee Hyun-muk waved his hand as if to say, “Don’t worry.”
“See you later, Yohan.”
“Yes…! Everyone, see you later!”
If he said “see you later,” then it would be possible, right? Yohan suppressed his anxiety and obediently boarded the military truck. Two squad members, who appeared to be intermediate awakened, boarded with him. They still had their hands on their guns, maintaining a vigilant stance, but their attitude was quite friendly.
“Would you like some water?”
“Th-thank you.”
He took the bottled water with trembling hands and drank it down in one gulp, finally feeling like he had truly escaped the Abyss. Tears began to well up again, even though he had cried so much earlier. All the terrifying and difficult things he had experienced in the Abyss flashed before his eyes. The squad member silently turned his head away, pretending not to notice. Sniffling, Yohan asked in a choked voice,
“What’s today’s date?”
“It’s November 22, 2035.”
Yohan’s head went blank as he put down the capped bottle of water. It felt like being hit hard on the back of the head with a hammer. Doubting his own ears, he asked,
“What? Not November 2036?”
“It is November 2035.”
The squad member replied in a voice that seemed to pity the person who had escaped the Abyss. However, Yohan couldn’t believe it at all. This was because the day he fell into the Abyss was November 7, 2035. Yet, this person was now stating a date that was barely a month after that day.
He spent a year in the Abyss, but less than a month has passed? “That’s impossible,” he muttered. Then he urgently asked,
“Could you possibly show me the date? Even a calendar would be fine.”
The other person let out a light sigh and showed him the watch on his wrist. The date of today was clearly written there: November 22, 2035.
How could this be? He had spent a year in the Abyss, but only fifteen days had passed here? Was he dreaming? Was this reality? Suddenly, Yohan recalled a memory from the past. When he first met Lee Hyun-muk, he had asked Yohan for the date.
“What’s the date outside here?”
“The day I came here was November 7, 2035.”
And what did Lee Hyun-muk say after hearing his words, bursting into maniacal laughter?
“Haha, haa, it was 3 years ago. Just, 3 years ago…”
Thinking back now, there were several other strange things. The way the others treated Yohan as the youngest, even with Joo Ho-young present, and the frequent remarks that sounded like they came from someone who had lived for decades. Finally realizing the truth, Yohan’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Two weeks here was one year there. One day here was almost a month in the Abyss. The flow of time was completely different.
Then how many long years had Lee Hyun-muk and the others spent there? In that terrifying hell where one year felt like decades… Simply calculating, it was a staggering thirty thousand days. In other words, nearly 90 years.
However, for some reason, Yohan had a premonition that they had spent even longer than that there. The regret, despair, resignation, and anger that flickered across their faces suggested it was not just 90 years, or even 100 years… but a time longer than Yohan could have imagined. They must have endured an incredibly long and arduous time…
“Ugh… sob. Hicc…”
A heavy emotion welled up, and Yohan let out a sob. Thinking that such kind and good people like Lee Hyun-muk, Lee Chan-ha, Seo Yakrin, Yoon Seung-ryong, and Joo Ho-young had lived through such terrible suffering without end, he couldn’t bear it. He felt pity, and more pity. Their pain ached in his heart as if it were his own. The handkerchief offered by the bewildered squad members became soaked as he cried incessantly throughout the transport.
As a result, the inspector who met him at the Rift Management Agency’s examination room after arrival was taken aback by Yohan’s swollen face. The inspector, seeing that he had clearly been sobbing, said nervously,
“…Excessive emotional expression is also one of the Contamination Symptoms.”
Corruption? As a Purifier, there was not an ounce of corruption in his body. Fearing he might be taken to a detention room, Yohan quickly shook his head and replied in a nasal voice,
“No, it’s just… because I finally thought I escaped the Abyss… I was overwhelmed. I miss my friends and family too, sob.”
“Ah…”
“That’s understandable,” a look of comprehension flashed across the inspector’s face. With many eyes watching him, Yohan removed all his clothes. He felt embarrassed being naked, but everyone else seemed accustomed to this kind of procedure and showed no reaction.
Just as Lee Hyun-muk had done in the Abyss, they examined Yohan meticulously. They thoroughly checked his hair, ears, eyes, mouth, and even his private areas for any rashes, shining lights on them. The absence of any visible symptoms meant his contamination level wasn’t very high, and everyone seemed relieved.
Next, after a process that could only be described as a wash, he was dressed in loose clothing and underwent both an X-ray and a CT scan. Only after confirming there were no foreign organs or masses inside his body was Yohan declared safe. However, he suddenly got a nosebleed, startling the inspector who wondered if it was a Contamination Symptom.
“Are you alright? Are there any other unusual symptoms?”
“No, I… used my abilities too much… I’m tired.”
This was not a lie. In fact, Yohan had to exert himself with all his might to escape the Abyss. Even with Joo Ho-young’s buff and the help of Black Mountain, purifying an entire city was by no means easy. As the tension subsided and he slumped weakly, a squad member watching him quickly helped him up. Yohan weakly expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you…”
“It seems you’ve overused your abilities, so it would be best to let you consume nutrients and rest sufficiently.”
The squad member, accustomed to pushing their abilities to the limit when dealing with Corrupted individuals or monsters, immediately recognized Yohan’s condition. Given how pale his face already was, the inspector nodded. Yohan stumbled along, asking,
“Um, what about the others?”
The squad member replied in a blunt voice,
“They are undergoing examination.”
“When can I see them?”
“You can see them once all examinations are complete and they are declared safe.”
Though he felt a bit anxious, Yohan firmly believed in Lee Hyun-muk and the other members. He figured they had sent him alone like this because it was all a necessary procedure and they would meet again. However, he was a little worried about how the examination results would turn out for the members whose physical composition had ‘slightly’ changed while in the Abyss. He dragged his feet, overcome by sudden fatigue, following the squad member.
He was led to a quarantine room with double transparent glass doors. It was likely a space designed for those with mild corruption, equipped with everything needed for living, including a TV and a bed. Yohan ate his provided meal half-heartedly and collapsed onto the bed.
Occasionally, someone seemed to wake him and examine him, but Yohan slept like the dead, unable to react. When he woke up, an IV drip was attached to his wrist. Sunlight streamed through the window, and he gazed at it as if entranced. The dazzling blue sky seemed like something he could never tire of looking at. As if watching him, an inspector arrived shortly after he woke up.
“Yang Yohan-ssi, how are you feeling?”
“I think I’m better now that I’ve slept soundly.”
The inspector nodded, carefully observing Yohan through the glass door before marking something on the tablet he held. It seemed to be a Contamination Symptoms checklist.
“Do you have any physical abnormalities such as rashes, itching, or sensory paralysis? Or any mental abnormalities like auditory hallucinations, illusions, premonitions of a grim future, depression, or lethargy?”
Only after he answered no to all questions did the double glass doors open. With squad members monitoring him on either side, Yohan followed the inspector. After several more examinations, he arrived at a place where Jeong Si-young was. Yohan’s eyes widened, and he first drew his own energy back into his body.
“Yang Yohan-ssi? Please sit over here.”
Unlike last time, Jeong Si-young was not wearing any anti-corruption gear. The way her hair was casually swept back and her sleeves rolled up indicated how busy she was. However, her left arm was meticulously wrapped in a material similar to latex. Yohan felt a strong urge to purify her as he sat down.
“You must be hungry from fasting for the examination. Please have something to eat first.”
Feeling a strong hunger, Yohan accepted the bread and milk she offered without refusal. As he ate the bread with sweet jam and drank the milk, tears welled up again. Milk… It was an ingredient he could never taste in the Abyss.
“It’s delicious… Thank you.”
As Yohan sniffled, Jeong Si-young clicked her tongue and offered more snacks. Before meeting Yohan, she had already interviewed the Sunrise Team members, including Lee Hyun-muk. And despite being a High-level Awakener, she had felt a strong sense of unease throughout her interviews with them. While she could understand it with Lee Hyun-muk, it was truly strange to feel that way even with the other team members, who were intermediate awakened.
Compared to them, Yohan felt like a small, timid animal. He didn’t evoke any particular unease; instead, he gave off a strangely warm and comfortable feeling. Watching the person, who looked like they had just graduated high school, drink milk with teary eyes, Jeong Si-young rechecked the documents.
Yang Yohan, twenty-three years old. Second son of Yang Hwa-pyeong, CEO of Samyeong Pharmaceutical Company, and Kim Ye-ju. According to witness testimony, he participated in an Awakening Party and disappeared after a monster attack.
The person before her looked like a pampered young master from a sheltered upbringing, as described in the documents, who had endured harsh suffering. Jeong Si-young asked in a much softer voice,
“First, could you tell us how you ended up entering the Abyss?”